Ken Basics Explained (online play edits!)

[Dingding123]

A quick guide for newcomers to Ken as well as Street Fighter lovers new to Ultimate looking to master Ken Masters' kit! Everything in white is relevant for Ken in general and everything in red is regarding online play:

1.) Target combo &/-> H Shoryuken
Tap A twice quickly while standing next to an opponent, do Street Fighter's uppercut motion and press A a third time and hold it to combo into a H Shoryuken - Ken and Ryu's specials and motion attacks (except Focus) can all can be used immediately after connecting with any basic air or non-smash grounded attack except standing/forward H while alone. This deals 28% damage on its own, works at all %'s, can't be DI'ed out of and Shoryuken is also Ken's best killmove that can even hit the top platform of Battlefield from the bottom. Lol. At lower %'s it can combo from nair or uair before landing. Since Ken is so fast and always faces opponents this is very easy to find openings for! Ken can dash forward and execute this after blocking a heavy hit or out of a Focus counter. H Shoryuken is hilariously good and is not only Ken's best move but one of the best moves in the game! Keep in mind that the L versions of utilt and dtilt are alternative jabs that you can just run up and use infinitely on shields and still potentially combo into Tatsu/motion kick/Shoryuken; Venom has made great use of run up -> dtilts so far in his tournament sets on YouTube.

1a.) Omit jabs online!
Instead of jabs, focus on connecting raw Shoryuken at any% and the neutral H punch &/-> H Shoryuken at low%s and using other tools in neutral when climbing the online ladder. Ken's L attacks are his quickest moves, but pulling them off cleanly online is unfortunately no small feat. I'm currently elite as Ken and used to lose so many matches by constantly being just out of reach of opponents while jabbing like a moron lol. Dash -> immediate forward-to-down A using the forward motion of dashing as part of the attack is a great incremental approach tool. It hits high, contests with other attacks, ends extremely quickly and can block most projectiles. Neutral H while next to opponents is much more reliable of a setup for H Shoryuken at earlier %'s, and the alternative axe kick version of Neutral H has decent range and hits high first and low second. Either version of Neutral H is a killmove at high%s as well. Dsmash online is very worth noting as it is fine on shield from a distance and great at punishing rolls since Ken always faces opponents so long as he isn't in the middle of charging the smash attack.

2.) Half-circle A
Performing Ryu's Fire Hadouken as Ken brings out a quick and powerful long-range roundhouse. Holding A afterwards will cause Ken to follow it up with an axe kick that does not combo from it which is only worth doing for constant hitboxes or shield pressure. The motion can be buffered while dashing, rolling or landing. It can also be performed by omitting the back motion which will keep Ken from dashing in a standing state, but missing the downback motion as well causes Hadouken to come out instead. It is also a good killmove but unfortunately can't gimp as it sends targets diagonally upward.

3.) Fsmash, Fair, Grab & Focus; H Hadouken
These are Ken's best attacks in neutral besides his motion kicks. By "in neutral", I mean specifically before anyone has committed to something punishable. Ken can't combo from throws except for dthrow at low %'s, but grabbing people is fairly easy since he's so fast. bthrow deals a hefty 15% on its own and rolls opponents across the stage; fthrow is quite meaty too. H Hadouken is very worth using when there's a good amount of distance between players, or after launching opponents forward as it can force them to either eat the projectile or give up either a dodge or more stage control. Hadouken can also be used to edgeguard while running offstage as it has decent range and but watch out for accidentally side-B'ing or Shoryuken'ing off the stage! Use Neutral B to be safe!

3a.) Fullhop/shorthop options in neutral
Always prefer fullhops, timed aerials and empty fastfalls to shorthopping in neutral - one of Ken's most useful tools is his air mobility despite having awful air acceleration! Only ever shorthop for guaranteed aerial hits, moving Focus, fishing for H Shoryuken KOs and as an out-of-shield option (keep in mind that bair will easily miss grounded short targets). If you're ever falling on someone's shield with an aerial often, consider buffering Tatsumaki or H Shoryuken just in case you hit it so you don't get grabbed afterwards; Ken is combo fodder in some MU's and Focus only helps so much. Better yet, just empty fastfall and grab or do a motion axe kick! While at the peak of his fullhop, Ken can fastfall while starting the motion for Tatsumaki into a midair falling Tatsumaki; this can catch defensive players offguard and push them to the edge of the stage. Hadouken motion + shorthop -> H Hadouken is also a useful tool but leaves Ken wide open if the opponent closes the gap on foot. Online is a different story - considering the lag, go for either shorthop aerials without fastfalling (SHFFL'ing won't save Ken from getting punished by shield online if he tries to fastfall) or immediate double-jump approaches instead of fullhopping. Regarding Ken's double-jump: his first jump is very much true to his Street Fighter jumps but his second causes him to float up slowly like a floaty character despite being able to quickly come back down with a fastfall, much like Akuma's special jump in his later SF games. This gives Ken a very unique aerial approach that most players can't see coming. Ken's fullhop unfortunately isn't fantastic online where everyone sits around waiting for things to punish, but it can be used for fastfall -> aerial Tatsumaki, and Focus charging in appropriate MU's as well as simply a no-direction airdodge can be used to try to avoid punishes. Also considering the immediate height gain of jumps in Ultimate, Ken's fullhop itself can be used as a dodge in order to try to punish opponents with fastfall -> nair combo or bair for a finishing move.

3b.) Slip-N-Slide Usmash
This has become the newest deadly tool in my arsenal as Ken against slow floaties, partially thanks to the fact that Ken always faces his opponents in 1v1s so it can even crossup! Begin a dash then immediately usmash; Ken will magically slide in the direction of his dash letting his usmash - Ken's most damaging smash attack - have a moving animation. This is a safer anti-air alternative to H Shoryuken that also is a potential killmove. However, even just the end hit of H Shoryuken somehow manages to kill even earlier. If that's not a testament to H Shoryuken's power, I don't know what is!

3c.) Ledge options
While on ledge, consider hopping on and using Focus or hopping up and using Tatsumaki to fly back to center (although Ken's getup attacks are perfectly fine). Alternatively, just get back up regularly and play it out as getting up regularly is fairly fast and tough to react to unless they're standing right at the ledge. "Tournament winner" - simply hopping back onstage from ledge - can potentially be a good option but being stuck in the air above opponents isn't at all what Ken wants. When waiting for an opponent who's on the ledge, generally stick to Hadoukens, shielding next to ledge for usmash/jumping OoS + aerial (watch out for accidentally H Shoryuken'ing yourself offstage!), reading a roll back onstage for an fsmash/H Shoryuken punish or waiting for them to throw their shield up after getting back up and grabbing them again. Unfortunately Ken and Ryu have NO attacks onstage that can hit someone hanging on the ledge!

3d.) Platform options
Falling from platform while opponents are below him aren't Ken's forte as he has no attacks whatsoever that hit below him. Running off platform -> nair/fair/bair is solid but can be punishable; shorthopping diagonally off of platform back towards center is more or less the way to go. If they chase from below, use airdoges liberally; use Focus-> dash cancels as well so long as Focus is relevant in the MU. When below someone on a platform...oh boy. They're in a bad spot haha. Usmash wherever they land for either shield poke or meaty damage. Why people usually sit in shield against Ken is because they're terrified of getting H Shoryuken'd to the moon! Wait out their shield and try to H Shoryuken their escape route. H Shoryuken is a bit safer when landing on platforms but can still get punished; when the trade-off is a kill at 95%, however, it is well worth it to go for it. Ken jumps perfectly to the platforms on Battlefield which is a very nice perk! Online it is very useful to fullhop/fastfall around each platform of Battlefield in-between KOs as it makes Ken quite tough to keep up with, even against the fastest of characters. Also, many people won't see runoff platform -> fastfall fair/bair coming until Ken's done it a lot as it can be done surprisingly quickly. Finally starting matches running to the edge of your platform, short-hopping forward and landing with a fastfalled nair is often a good way to start the match and can lead into standing H -> H Shoryuken!

4.) Neutral H next to opponents &/-> Tatsumaki
Hold A while close to an opponent for an upwards punch, then do a backwards Hadouken to perform Tatsumaki in order to make a clean getaway. This is useful for shield poke as well as regaining center stage and Neutral H can kill at high %'s. Tatsumaki can also be used from ledge for a quick attack that brings him back to center after letting go of ledge and double-jumping. Despite Ken's Tatsumaki being a multi-hit, anything that comes after it is not a combo so be ready to act when the move finishes!

4a.) Forward-to-down A
This attack takes a moment to come out but ends extremely quickly, is Ken's most practical form of a poke tool in neutral and is a way to pile on damage after connecting jabs. This move (as well as half-circle A) stops Ken's movement and can be used at any time during a dash - even the starting frames! Use it to approach incrementally and throw people off in neutral online. Holding A causes an axe kick to come out that combos from it but also has more endlag.

5.) Bair, Axe kicks, Forward H

Ken's other killmoves. Reverse Bair is a great kill option and can combo into a reverse upB if you're quick enough! Sweetspot bair deals a whopping 19.2%! The axe kick from Neutral H while no one's near and also at the end of both forward-to-down A or half-circle A while holding A sends people directly forward; this can KO outright if not gimp them off the side of the stage. Forward H is a heavy punch with an initial hitbox that sends opponents straight forward with even more power than an axe kick but is also fairly tough to land.

Strong basic combos:

41.4%; works until ~40% on most characters:
nair -> target combo -> forward-to-down A (no hold) -> dsmash or half-circle A instead against floatier characters
Alternatively, try fullhop nair and falling on opponents with the end part of the move. It has nearly no knockback and combos into jab!

51.2%; works until ~10% on most characters:
bair -> target combo -> forward-to-down A (no hold) -> dsmash or half-circle A instead against floatier characters

38.6%; works until ~50% on most characters:
bair -> reverse upB (towards opponent)

31.0%; works until ~25% on most characters:
sweetspot fair upon landing -> fair

uair, nair and sourspot fair combo into H Shoryuken until very high %'s.
dair combos into H Shoryuken on grounded opponents, or midair at mid~high %'s in certain situations.

Dair on a grounded target combos into Shoryuken at high %s easily KOs but one might as well try to land raw killmoves at that point.

fullhop -> fastfall nair/back portion of fair -> neutral H -> H Shoryuken has been fantastic online at early %'s.

Back portion of fair -> H Shoryuken upon landing is a kill confirm! Back portion of fair -> motion axe kick nukes a shield and then shield pokes.

Best of luck with Ken Masters in Ultimate!!!!!

 

[Firegod]

A quick guide for newcomers to Ken as well as Street Fighter lovers new to Ultimate looking to master Ken Masters' kit:

1.) Target combo &/-> H Shoryuken
Tap A twice quickly while standing next to an opponent, then do the uppercut motion and hold A to combo into a H Shoryuken. This deals 28% damage on its own, works at all %'s, can't be DI'ed out of and Shoryuken is also Ken's best killmove. Lol. At lower %'s it can combo from nair or uair before landing. Since Ken is so fast and always faces opponents this is very easy to find openings for! Ken can dash forward and execute this after blocking a heavy hit or out of a Focus counter. H Shoryuken is hilariously good and is possibly not only Ken's best move but one of the best moves in the game!

2.) Half-circle A
Performing Ryu's Fire Hadouken as Ken brings out a quick and powerful long-range roundhouse. Holding A afterwards will cause Ken to follow it up with an axe kick that does not combo from it which is only worth doing against shields. The motion can be buffered while dashing, rolling or landing. It can also be performed by omitting the back motion which will keep Ken from dashing in a standing state, but missing the downback motion as well causes Hadouken to come out instead.

3.) Fsmash, Fair, Grab & Focus; H Hadouken
These are Ken's best attacks in neutral besides half-circle A. Ken can't combo from throws except for dthrow at low %'s, but grabbing people is fairly easy since he's so fast. bthrow deals a hefty 15% on its own and rolls opponents across the stage; fthrow is quite meaty too. H Hadouken is very worth using after launching opponents forward as it forces them to either eat the projectile or give up a dodge or more stage space. Edit: Hadouken can also be used to edgeguard while running offstage as it has decent range and but watch out for accidentally side-B'ing or Shoryuken'ing off the stage! Use Neutral B to be safe!

4.) Neutral H next to opponents &/-> Tatsumaki
Hold A while standing next to an opponent for an upwards punch, then do a backwards Hadouken to perform Tatsumaki in order to make a clean getaway. This is useful for shield poke as well as regaining center stage. Tatsumaki can also be used from ledge for a quick attack that brings him back to center after letting go of ledge and double-jumping. Despite Ken's Tatsumaki being a multi-hit, anything that comes after it is not a combo so be ready to act when the move finishes!

4a.) Forward-to-down A
Ken doesn't posess Ryu's shield-crushing capabilities (aside from H Shoryuken (LOL.)), but this attack comes out slightly faster than Ryu's overhead and is quite safer. Running forward and performing a crouching A is tricky because this exists; however this is an equally good shield poke option after neutral H that doesn't send Ken or his opponent anywhere afterwards. Holding A causes an axe kick to come out that does combo from it.

5.) Bair, Axe kick, Forward H

Ken's other powerful killmoves. Reverse Bair is a great kill option and combos into either a grounded combo or reverse upB! Sweetspot bair deals a whopping 19.2%! The axe kick from Neutral H while no one's near and also at the end of both forward-to-down A or half-circle A while holding A sends people directly forward; this can KO outright if not gimp them off the side of the stage. Forward H is a heavy punch that sends opponents directly forward with even more power than an axe kick.

Combos (so far):

41.4%; works until ~40% on most characters:
nair -> target combo -> forward-to-down A (no hold) -> dsmash
Alternatively, try fullhop nair and falling on opponents with the end part of the move. It has nearly no knockback and combos into jab!

51.2%; works until ~10% on most characters:
bair -> target combo -> forward-to-down A (no hold) -> dsmash

38.6%; works until ~50% on most characters:
bair -> reverse upB (towards opponent)

31.0%; works until ~25% on most characters:
sweetspot fair upon landing -> fair

uair, nair and sourspot fair combo into H Shoryuken as well until very high %'s.
dair combos into H Shoryuken while the opponent is grounded, or midair at mid~high %'s in certain situations.

Best of luck with Ken Masters in Ultimate!!!!!

Hello Mr Ding.

Question if you dont mind.

From most of the vidoes I have watched, i see that Ryu is very good at shield break.

Do you feel that Ken has the same shield break potential if you combo a blocking target long enough?

Thanks for any help you can give. Sorry if my question is a bit noobish.

 

[Freeth]

Actually, I can answer that a bit with a bit of tech I just found: Ken shieldbreak potential

It does require some damage on the shield, but butt sweet spot of forward air into forward smash seems to do the trick.

 

[Firegod]

Actually, I can answer that a bit with a bit of tech I just found: Ken shieldbreak potential

It does require some damage on the shield, but butt sweet spot of forward air into forward smash seems to do the trick.

Awsome! Thank you!

 

[Nethermoosen]

I don’t even know why Ken and Ryu can remain echoes at this point. Lol

Anyways, here’s what I know now(newly a Ken main).

Ken’s Shoryuken does it’s knockback from the last hit at the peak of the attack. Unlike’s Ryu, Ken can KO an opponent quite a ways above him with his Shoryuken, though missing it is terrible.

Ken can jab, jab, use the reverse hadoken input(forward to down attack) and confirm a forward smash. Every time.

Ken can use the shankunetsu(roll back to forward attack)command to use the same kick Ryu can use as his heavy neutral. Ken can input it this kick as the second or last hit of a jab for a kill or(at lower percent) for higher knockback if you’re into that.

This is a true combo I use a lot to set-up my opponent: jab, jab, tatsumaki.
After the last hit of tatsumaki, the opponent(if they are aware) will have a split second to react. They can use jab, nair, shield, jump, etc. Take note of what they do.

After the tatsumaki, you can use up tilt to Shoryuken so long as they did not attack, shield or jump away. If they stay near or above you(jump up or over) you should be able to land the up tilt and Shoryuken.

If the opponent opts for a big attack, you can use focus attack.

If the opponent shields, grab and up throw to up air to Shoryuken(if percentage allows). Ken wants people above him anyways

If they jump up and away, just up air to Shoryuken.

If they back away, you can chase, hadoken or use another tatsumaki to reset the situation.

If they decide to roll behind you, or jump behind you, you can side tilt heavy, tatsumaki, grab, or pretty much anything, really. Down and up inputs like tilts and smashes will always land if they try to cross you up like that, so they are safe bets for the roller.

 

[mr.motley]

I can't actually get Forward Smash to link after the "Natashi Otoshi Geri" (Quater Circle Forward > Down + Light Punch)(just gonna call it QCD LP unless someone has a better name)

Edit*
at 95% combo tc qcd lp into fsmash (kills mid stage FD but probably not with di)
(need to test this more as on FD this doesn't kill off the roof if you do it into shoryuken yet so knowing when you can kill with what will be good)

Also to address the bit about down tilt's not being reliable, I found "tilt stick" (setting) seems really helpful as you can't accidentally get the QCD LP regardless with it so I'm using that for my combos.

So far all I've got to add is a few tidbits from the lab:

After QCD + LP I can link, Down Smash and both versions of Down Tilt (depending on range they end up at)

From that Down Tilt you can then link Tatsu(Light Medium or Heavy) or Fireball(Light Medium or Heavy, though I can't imagine a reason not to just heavy when doing a combo), Tatsu can set up mixups and corner carry, fireball if you are closer to the edge and won't get a full tatsu off, will be more damage and knockback.

You can do Target Combo > QCD + LP > Down Tilt (as a hit confirm) till around 65% on ryu. will test other characters later.

So I've been able to do (forgive my notation hopefully it makes sense) Short Hop DAIR (kind of launches standing opponent) > Target Combo (lp x2) > QCF P > Down Tilt > Tatsu (H) for 43% (can do from 0%-25%ish I imagine but not 100% yet)

You can do other variations of this based on stage positioning and use the tatsu's to loop it if they press a button afterwards with a bit of creativity I'm sure other people can probably do a lot better.

65ish% combo tc qcd lp into shoryuken (need to walk forward a step before shoryuken)

I'd be interested to see if anyone has anything to combo into Shoryuken longer than DAIR/NAIR/UAIR > Target Combo (lpx2) > Shoryuken. I can't get it to link off QCF+P or down tilt afterwards and it'd be good to get as much damage as possible before doing it potentially if people have other ideas, I kind of think this is by design though there might be some juggles off short hop down air, which isn't super reliable as a combo starter in a real game I imagine.

Not sure if we want a specific combo discussion thread as I imagine people will come up with some cool stuff over time. I plan to work on ryu more soon as I think they both have some good strengths and weakness's.

 

[Nethermoosen]

I can't actually get Forward Smash to link after the "Natashi Otoshi Geri" (Quater Circle Forward > Down + Light Punch)(just gonna call it QCD LP unless someone has a better name)

Also to address the bit about down tilt's not being relaible, I found "tilt stick" (setting) seems really helpful as you can't accidentally get the QCD LP regardless with it so I'm using that for my combos.

So far all I've got to add is a few tidbits from the lab:

After QCD + LP I can link, Down Smash and both versions of Down Tilt (depending on range they end up at)

From that Down Tilt you can then link Tatsu(Light Medium or Heavy) or Fireball(Light Medium or Heavy, though I can't imagine a reason not to just heavy when doing a combo), Tatsu can set up mixups and corner carry, fireball if you are closer to the edge and won't get a full tatsu off, will be more damage and knockback.

You can do Target Combo > QCD + LP > Down Tilt (as a hit confirm) till around 41% on ryu. will test other characters later.

So I've been able to do (forgive my notation hopefully it makes sense) Short Hop DAIR (kind of launches standing opponent) > Target Combo (lp x2) > QCF P > Down Tilt > Tatsu (H) for 43% (can do from 0%-25%ish I imagine but not 100% yet)

You can do other variations of this based on stage positioning and use the tatsu's to loop it if they press a button afterwards with a bit of creativity I'm sure other people can probably do a lot better.

I'd be interested to see if anyone has anything to combo into Shoryuken longer than DAIR/NAIR/UAIR > Target Combo (lpx2) > Shoryuken. I can't get it to link off QCF+P or down tilt afterwards and it'd be good to get as much damage as possible before doing it potentially if people have other ideas, I kind of think this is by design though there might be some juggles off short hop down air, which isn't super reliable as a combo starter in a real game I imagine.

Not sure if we want a specific combo discussion thread as I imagine people will come up with some cool stuff over time. I plan to work on ryu more soon as I think they both have some good strengths and weakness's.

Short hop down air isn’t bad, but damage racks up so fast you lose combo potential real quick.

Doing 40-50% combos first thing in a match really changes the options we train for QUICK.

I think that’s my biggest problem is that I still want a combo, but my aerials are now causing too much knockback. I get that one combo and it’s down to tomahawk tilts.

Anyone have some post-50% easy cheese combos?

 

[Dingding123]

Short hop down air isn’t bad, but damage racks up so fast you lose combo potential real quick.

Doing 40-50% combos first thing in a match really changes the options we train for QUICK.

I think that’s my biggest problem is that I still want a combo, but my aerials are now causing too much knockback. I get that one combo and it’s down to tomahawk tilts.

Anyone have some post-50% easy cheese combos?

To be fair, Ken's single hits deal a ton of damage in general. Dash attack deals up to 15.2% and is a killmove. Downsmash always faces opponents, comes out on frame 5, has good range and solid shield damage and deals nearly 20%. Fair sweetspot deals over 16% which is nuts.

Past 50% Ken doesn't have nearly as much in the way of combos, but by that point he's only ~40% - 2 to 3 stray hits - away from KO'ing with H Shoryuken on a jumping opponent, Bair or an Fsmash off the side of the stage. Ken KOs hilariously easily!

 

[mr.motley]

Regarding shield break potential, I'm not sure how much 'shield stun' people are in when you hit them but if its anything like hit stun you can do the following which I think will break the shield at higher %'s (I don't know all this games mechanics yet but working on it so if 0% on shield and 45% and shield are the same then I'm not sure why my tests are not similar)
at 45% vs shield: Target Combo > QCD + LP > HCF(half circle forward) + A(Hold)(Oosoto Mawashi Geri) seems to break the shield but I can't on my own confirm if they can escape it, this does actually all combo at 45% too but the last kick does the first option with big knock-back not the double hit overhead kick.

I think from now on I'll just call QCD + LP = NOG(Nata Otoshi Geri) and HCF + A = OMG(Oosoto Mawashi Geri) after them move names, should make notation less annoying to read.

If anyone has insight onto this games shield mechanics and could test further that would be great

 

[Nethermoosen]

To be fair, Ken's single hits deal a ton of damage in general. Dash attack deals up to 15.2% (from memory). Downsmash always faces opponents, has good range and solid shield damage and deals nearly 20%. Fair sweetspot deals over 16% which is nuts.

Past 50% Ken doesn't have nearly as much in the way of combos, but by that point he's only ~40% - 2 to 3 stray hits - away from KO'ing with H Shoryuken on a jumping opponent, Bair or an Fsmash off the side of the stage. Ken KOs hilariously easily!

Not so much a complaint as an observation.

I found my favorite opening combo.

Falling nair ->double light dtilt ->grab-> 2-3 pummels->Down throw->H utilt->L Shoryuken

47% damage if you can get the first hit

Edit: Tried it with up throw instead of down thrown. Got me 48-51% depending on amount of pummels and light down tilts

 

[Shock0055]

Not so much a complaint as an observation.

I found my favorite opening combo.

Falling nair ->double light dtilt ->grab-> 2-3 pummels->Down throw->H utilt->L Shoryuken

47% damage if you can get the first hit

Edit: Tried it with up throw instead of down thrown. Got me 48-51% depending on amount of pummels and light down tilts

I'd like to add that this doesn't work with lighter characters, ALTHOUGH I really do like this combo so I figured out if you drop the double dtilt, you can still get the H utilt and though it's not true combo at this point if the person does not jump you can get a Shoryuken granted if you run forward a small amount for 41% with Shoryuken, 32% without. Like I said, I like this combo a lot so I'm going to steal it from you, the down throw to H utilt is actually insane to build percent.

Also another thing that was cool with this combo is you can replace the dtilt and grab with a double jab to light Nata (forward to down quartercircle) and then continue with the grab->2-3 pummels... ->Shoryuken for a cool 54% though slightly harder to pull off.

 

[mr.motley]

In this game does stuff actually combo into grab like that or can they get out of that somehow? I'm still not sure on the mechanics of everything.

So it seems if you are pushing someone off the ledge on some characters (I think between weight 100 and 108 from my quick test) you can loop the LP LP NOG combo twice (I'm guessing DI dependant). Against Samus I could go into the OMG after the second NOG, again likely DI dependent but you can get a feel for the range on the initial combo and just drop it early to go into LP LP Heavy Shoryuken or fireball or whatever if you wanted.

edit* - after looking more into the above you can actually loop the Target Combo (TC, LP x 2) into NOG twice on some characters just grounded from 0% (not sure about ranges yet either)
using this so far the best I could come up with is
short hop crossup nair, TC>NOG,TC>NOG>,Down Smash for 58% 10 hit combo. I couldn't get a crouch medium kick to link though I don't know if that's not possible or my execution just fails. I did this on cloud at 0%

 

[Shock0055]

In this game does stuff actually combo into grab like that or can they get out of that somehow? I'm still not sure on the mechanics of everything.

You definitely can combo into grabs it just resets the combo in training but it can still be true.

 

[Freeth]

I've also been experimenting with optimizing damage. Light uptilt to close standing light forward tilt seems to do the most damage as the latter move does way more damage than the lights. This can still be combo'd into QCD + Light, but follow-ups will be harder. In general everything does become harder to execute and time, but you'll be rewarded with raw damage. The close standing light forward tilt does 7.2% damage opposed to 2.4% for light up tilt or 1.8% for the jabs.

It does require a lot more spacial awareness though. For example, I seem to be able to connect the uptilt from a neutral air only with a crossup on some characters even on 0%. Additionally, I did not test it vs DI-ing opponents.

Also, it might be worth mentioning in the Ken basics to the non-SF players about simply buffering your special cancels. Ryu and Ken can cancel specials from their normal attacks, but can only do so on hit. So if you jump neutral air and immediately input a tatsumaki you will only do a neutral air. If you were to hit an opponent shortly after inputting the tatsumaki however, the neutral air will cancel into the tatsumaki. It is somewhat restricted by timing, but get used to doing a lot of these "ghost" inputs with Ken and Ryu to make the most of your stray hits.

 

[mr.motley]

I've also been experimenting with optimizing damage. Light uptilt to close standing light forward tilt seems to do the most damage as the latter move does way more damage than the lights. This can still be combo'd into QCD + Light, but follow-ups will be harder. In general everything does become harder to execute and time, but you'll be rewarded with raw damage. The close standing light forward tilt does 7.2% damage opposed to 2.4% for light up tilt or 1.8% for the jabs.

hey awesome find! I think if we work out as much as possible about the options we have later it will give us more to work with in optimizing around DI/spacing and such.

seems like this might be the most optimal punish combo currently if we could shnair out of sheild or something consistently with it, which from just testing now isn't too bad to execute.

edit* I only just realised doing the motions for Shoryuken/Hadoken/Tatsumaki does more damage than just pressing B, makes all my previous numbers a bit off and worth learning the motions for a lot of situations. Just an FYI for anyone else who maybe didn't realise this yet.
You can't heavy shoryuken out of sheidl without up-B tho.

 

[Freeth]

Anyone have some post-50% easy cheese combos?

Actually, you can still do a sour/late neutral air crossup into run up jab, jab, QCD + Light. Then you can end with a forward smash, which I think is not true. Also, you can do a dash up heavy shoryu, and make the forward input also your dash up. I do think you can DI out of this, but they can't air dodge it. Still have to test that. Tested on Inkling at 50%, 60%, 70%. At 80% it seems techable.

However, unless it gets crazy, from 90 and up you can still cross up sour neutral air, run, jab, jab, into shoryu for the kill. If they DI up, you can still connect the jabs sometimes, or your can opt for a light up tilt and still end with the shoryu.

You can also crossup sour forward air, up air, Heavy Shoryu. If they shield the crossup, go for the shield brake setup:

Ken shieldbreak potential

Not sure what to do if they roll or jump yet. But most of the early combo's still work somewhat on higher percentage with the right jump in timing and spacing.

You can't heavy shoryuken out of sheidl without up-B tho.

I was close to getting it, but I think with the new insta shorthop aerial mechanic it might be impossible, but maybe someone with more execution can give it an attempt:

By holding 2 shield buttons, you are able to input any direction without committing to a dodge. This can be used to buffer the Shoryu input. Then you need to release 1 shield button in order to be able to cancel it in a jump. Then within 3 frames, before you leave the ground, you SHOULD be able to press the attack button in order to cancel the squad into a shoryu. However, I wonder if the new short hop aerial mechanic has 3 or less frames leniency: You can press them a few frames apart, and it will still give you the action. If this difference is more than 2 frames it means the buffered shoryu will always be out prioritized by the short hop aerial. And it needs to be witihin 3 frames, because that is the new global squad animation duration. Afterwards, you've already left the ground.

As a result, I have been able to do it after I left the ground, getting the closest to the ground shoryu out of shield. The execution is ridiculous however, and it might only be good against taller characters in very specific scenario's.

Edit: Also tried it with tap jump on and using high sensitivity analog inputs in order try and jump cancel a shoryu without a 2nd shield button and dodging. Still no luck. Same as previously, only after a jump can I cancel it, as far as I'm aware. Otherwise it will prioritize an up-smash. Perhaps because of the shield release? Because I don't think it would normally prioritize up smash over true shoryu.

 

[mr.motley]

What's the best damage people have come up with so far from a focus crumple, most I've found so far is 78% on R.O.B (from 0)
Focus Attack (full charge) short hop DAIR > L.Utilt > L.Ftilt > NOG > H.Shoryuken
R.O.B. is just what training mode gave me so I dunno who else this would work on.
*edit, though the timing is tight and I'm sure it could be DI'd out of, you can actually KO rob with this from 45 on FD

 

[Dingding123]

I'm just about done editing this guide - let me know if there's anything important I've missed! Long live Ken!

 

[Nethermoosen]

So, I’ve been using focus attack to drift through strong projectiles(freaking Nikita) and didn’t know how strong the shield damage and shield stun was on focus attack. Focus attack plus any decent power attack breaks shields. Not true, but they are at least going to leave off the shield for a bit.

I’m going to test for more early nair drop combos to find a good 50-80% damage off a single engage.

My next attempt at figuring these is to see if L dtilt will confirm into a shorthop dair for special confirms.

I really should wait to do these things before I get hyped. Lol.

Also, IzawSmash posted a video where c-stick can be used for tilts to extend tilt range out of a run.

Set c-stick to tilt. During a run(not dash, but full run) you can input back for the sliding turn around animation and immediately input a tilt with c-stick. This will retain your forward momentum while tilting. With Ken’s short ftilt, this would be pretty nice since it does kill at the ledge.

 

[MapleBeasts]

Really enjoying playing Ken. I think one of the most low key great things about him is that tatsumaki multi hits and drags enemies with you at lower percents. This really helps out his combo game in these situations as he can often set up the target combo or get a grab off of it. A really cool string I came across that works at low to mid percentages is dair (on a grounded target) tatsumaki into down throw into sour spot nair into h shoryuken. It does about 60 damage, offers few chances for the enemy to escape after the fair lands and feels awesome to pull off.

What's the best damage people have come up with so far from a focus crumple, most I've found so far is 78% on R.O.B (from 0)
Focus Attack (full charge) short hop DAIR > L.Utilt > L.Ftilt > NOG > H.Shoryuken
R.O.B. is just what training mode gave me so I dunno who else this would work on.
*edit, though the timing is tight and I'm sure it could be DI'd out of, you can actually KO rob with this from 45 on FD

You can do the string I mentioned above at low percents (up to about 35 is when it starts getting spotty). It does almost 90 damage if you can get the input shoryuken off.

 

[Nethermoosen]

L Dtilt does not combo into dair. Sadly.

Anyone else figure out why it’s hard to turn around Shoryuken for recovery? Has anyone found a solution? Maybe hard input command the other way?

 

[Dingding123]

L Dtilt does not combo into dair. Sadly.

Anyone else figure out why it’s hard to turn around Shoryuken for recovery? Has anyone found a solution? Maybe hard input command the other way?

Simply upB toward wherever you want to Shoryuken when recovering, as it's only possible to do the motion specials in the direction Ken is facing.

 

[Firegod]

I think its good for us to look at video of Kens playing against the current "top tier" characters.

This guy is playing against inkling and does a great job. Hope you guys dont mind.

 

[Firegod]

Also, has anyone messed with the movement options down B gives? I thought I saw this guy jump, then jump again, then down B then cancel through the stage or something crazy, it just looked like he was all over the place lol

 

[Nethermoosen]

Simply upB toward wherever you want to Shoryuken when recovering, as it's only possible to do the motion specials in the direction Ken is facing.

That’s the thing, even that doesn’t always work and I have no idea why. I’ve even done it in training mode just to make sure. Sometimes it just doesn’t register that I am indeed tilting Shoryuken the other way. No idea why it does that.

 

[Dingding123]

I just updated the guide to include more tips for online play after playing a ton of online as Ken! I've finally found some approach options for Ken online that are very solid besides just blocking and occasionally rolling.

Read the red text for online tips! Anything in white text can be relevant for online play as well!

 

[Knee Against the World]

Simply upB toward wherever you want to Shoryuken when recovering, as it's only possible to do the motion specials in the direction Ken is facing.

You can do turn-around H. Shoryu. Do the command input for Shoryu the direction you're facing and then immediately hold the control stick the other direction.

 

[BigPony]

I seem to be having issues completing combos starting with jab Jab even if I get the input for the special move to follow perfect it still throws out the third neutral jab; causing the opponent to fly horizontally. Any ideas ?

 

[Dingding123]

I seem to be having issues completing combos starting with jab Jab even if I get the input for the special move to follow perfect it still throws out the third neutral jab; causing the opponent to fly horizontally. Any ideas ?

Buffer slightly. The timing's weird, but if you do the 2 jabs -> motion attack quickly enough despite Ken not quite completing the moves yet it works consistently.